Thursday, February 10, 2011

Gratitude For An Enemy: Part 5

~The mundane:

Rihan returned to his mundane life. He was content. He was at peace, pursuing what he liked. Books, movies and TV series. He had gradually started making fresh friends as well. It was in this phase of his life that he met yours truly.

~A chance meeting:

I was a novice writer myself. I had written a few short stories by that time and got fewer of them published in magazines in India. Most of these stories were science fiction. I had started 2 novels, but the temptations of youth and a hectic lifestyle joined hands with a major heart-break and befriended my lack of expertise in writing a novel. They prevented me from making much advance on my book for a long time.

Life had afforded me the luxury of time for a brief space of an year before I met Rihan and I had dedicated that year to working on my novel. I retaliated to the aforementioned allied forces by forming a stronger alliance with my father. Together we had set the dice rolling and worked hard on a story we had both wanted to tell. A book was born which appealed to the publishers and I became an author.

Rihan used to talk to me about my book and told me he had a passion for writing as well. He had started writing during the time he had decided to figure out his true passion. He was trying many things.

~Yet another theory:

A note on why Rihan had a strange urge to try many things to discover his passion. Rihan believed that life was fickle and could desert anyone any minute. The grand plans that people make for life, thinking that they will live for an eternity hardly ever materialize. It is man's fear that prevents him from thinking about death. To Rihan, however, morbidity gave perspective.

Rihan tried writing to figure out if it was a 'joy giving' aspect of his life. Much to surprise, it was the most joy he had ever felt. Soon enough, as was expected given his life long love for books, he was addicted to writing. He started writing on fantasy stories for children. He was too apprehensive and anxious and never let anyone read his stories. He had written some 12 stories, when he got an idea.

He got them proof read by me. I loved his stories and strongly urged him to seek a publisher for his work. His stories started appearing in one of the leading national magazine for kids. A fresh story every month.

Later in his life, he would go on to write the best selling fantasy series by an Indian author. But that is a whole another story...

~Life goes on:

After a significant period of time, after the whole Raveesh and Vibhuti episode, Rihan started dating.

Now a debate here is on the 'significant' in the gap I've pointed to. When someone is dying every second is significant. Time loses its importance in that situation. If someone believes he will live to eternity, even an year is insignificant. So the perception of time is relative based on man's perception of life. Rather, his/her (I've learnt that means I respect both the sexes equally) perception of death. I leave you to interpret 'significant' as per your ideology. Choose a time frame that makes Rihan seem more hero like and less frivolous for you. It's freedom of interpretation that I am leaving you with. Use it wisely.

~Beginning of a Happy Ending:

So Rihan found the true love of his life. A companion in whom he could confide. Someone who could hold her side of the debate in their discussions on philosophies and matters that were important to them. With her he felt in presence of love and he loved her with all his life force.

Their love was a whole another organism. They had given birth to it together and they nurtured it together. They felt the divine presence in what they had between them. If that was not true love, nothing is.

They are getting married in a couple of months. Everyone has been sent invitations for the marriage. A special one went to a special person.

Dear Raveesh,

I hope you are doing good. I hope life has been kind to you. Today is the happiest day of my life. I have reached a point in my life where I can say that I would not want to go back to change a single thing in my life.

Today it was finalized. I am getting married. I had started dating her two years ago and I really love her. I am sure she is my lobster... my soul-mate.

I want to invite you to celebrate with us, our special day. I am really grateful to everyone in my life who have, in their own way, helped me reach to this day, this point in my life. The most of all, I am grateful to you. I would never have understood the importance of love and what it means to me had I not met you. Your actions, despite of being laced with hatred for me, shot me on this trajectory that I am currently on.

I would be overjoyed to have to amongst us. It would not have been possible without you.

Here's hoping to be a friend again,Rihan

Sounds childish? It did to me too. But Rihan was adamant on sending it. Revenge does taste sweet. I fail to understand why we have been hammered with the 'forgiving and forgetting' theory for so long.

~Happy Ending:

Yeah. You guessed it right. They did live happily ever after. True story.

Thanks for being sensitive towards readers. ( i mean ..giving us a Happy Ending). Its always better to be a half glass full person. On the whole it made a very good reading. keep it up!A small request....in future plz proof read once before publishing, but if u really r short of time...it doesnt matter...its fun reading it raw too :)

I would like to add one more thing...that I found the concept of the story really wonderful....it lingers with reader for long after having read the story. One realizes that even if a single event in our past had not gone the way it did..our today would have been very different! Thus it became possible to feel 'gratitude for enemy'! BEAUTIFUL!!